A MADAGASCAR FOREST 151 



crossing the rivers, on account of the many things in both 

 which may injure the traveller. 1 



It would probably be a very serious matter for a European 

 to be lost for long in a Madagascar forest, for he would be 

 entirely at a loss for food, and would most likely be unable to 

 produce fire to cook anything he could find. To a Malagasy, 

 however, especially one living in the neighbourhood of the 

 woods, it would not matter so much, as there are several species 

 of yam, which he would easily find. These Ovindla are climbing 

 plants common in the forest, belonging to the genus Dioscorea, 

 and have very large edible tubers, which are much sought after 

 by the people ; their taste is similar to other yams which are so 

 largely used as food in other parts of the world. In Drury's 

 " Adventures," he speaks frequently of procuring these yams 

 in the south-western forests ; for, living many years, as he did, 

 like a native in that part of the island, he became well versed 

 in woodcraft and could live as the people lived. 



A European would be equally puzzled as to obtaining fire to 

 cook his yams, were he so fortunate as to find any ; but a forest- 

 dwelling Malagasy could easily produce fire by friction. Choos- 

 ing two pieces of a particular kind of wood, he would cut one to 

 the shape of a round stick with a pointed end ; the other he 

 would make into a flatter piece, in which a slight groove is cut. 

 Taking hold of the pointed stick, the operator twirls it first one 

 way and then another, until the friction produces smoke and 

 then fire, which is communicated to a little tinder placed close 

 to the point. Gently blowing upon the spark which is produced, 

 the tinder bursts into flame, the whole operation occupying only 

 a few minutes. There are special words for this mode of 

 obtaining fire : mamositra, which is also used for the boring 

 of a hole by an insect, or a chameleon, to deposit its eggs ; and 

 miraingy, the pieces of wood being called raingy. But it may 

 be feared that the universal use of Swedish matches will soon 

 render this means of producing fire one of the lost arts. 



To tend a fire is, in Malagasy, to misorona dfo ; and since 

 misdrona also means " to exercise a priestly function," it looks 

 as if this word or phrase was a relic of ancient reverence for fire 

 as a sacred thing, a feeling which is found in the customs and 

 speech of many peoples. 



In several directions there are beautiful waterfalls, to which 



